CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, S.C., has started having a moment of silence instead of spoken prayers before meals in response to a recent appeals court decision.
On Aug. 13, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider an April decision by a three-judge panel that declared dinnertime prayers at the Virginia Military Institute to be unconstitutional.
As a result, Maj. Gen. John Grinalds, president of the Citadel, announced that his college will observe a moment of silence before meals in the mess hall.
“This moment of silence will allow you to express your individual beliefs in your own way,” Grinalds told a gathering of cadet leaders two days after the decision.
“While the 4th Circuit Court ruling will create some changes here, the college will abide by the law.”
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